Digital devices, including, for example, computers, notebook computers, laptops, tablet devices, cellular telephones, smart phones, have become ubiquitous in recent years. In an increasingly digital world, these digital devices are communicatively connected to a computer network to exchange information. Computer network security is an important aspect of the computer network and means activities designed to protect the computer network and the digital devices connected to the computer network from digital attacks and data theft. These activities protect the usability, reliability, integrity, and safety of the network and data. A network security breach has a serious impact on individual users as well as businesses.
Several techniques exist to provide computer network security. For example, currently network security is handled using expensive hardware appliances like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and virtual private networks (VPNs). However, these hardware appliances are typically pre-provisioned and therefore cannot be changed dynamically on the fly as required. In some instances, the software are upgraded at periodic intervals with new threat signatures whenever new threats are detected. Moreover, these hardware appliances are over-provisioned to handle the variable network traffic and load. Current techniques are therefore inefficient and limited in their ability to convert the threat information to the right security intelligence and to use the security intelligence accurately and timely. This may result in disruption of services and grave financial losses to an organization.